


THE NEW DAWN

by Jacqueline_64



Series: ROLLER COASTER [4]
Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Angst, Chaos, Episode Related, Episode: s04e22 Sweet Revenge, Friendship, Gen, Injury, Missing Scenes, Not Beta Read, Shock, Trauma, Uncertainty, hopelessness, life threatening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:18:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24304996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacqueline_64/pseuds/Jacqueline_64
Summary: A look into Dobey and Huggy's perspective in the chaos right after the assassination attempt by Gunther's goons on Starsky.
Series: ROLLER COASTER [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728343
Kudos: 8





	THE NEW DAWN

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Although not a part of my post Sweet Revenge series or Gunther Sessions series, I do use those series as point of reference for this story, by which I mean that any literary liberties (such as the explanation why Starsky is 32 in 1979 – see notes on The Journey; the length of the surgery on Starsky, the length of his coma – see The Post Gunther Sessions); the vow Hutch had made to his partner (in case of life threatening injuries – see Welcome Home) are the same as in the stories in those 2 series. I got the idea for this story from watching Sweet Revenge in detail recently, focusing on Dobey and Huggy.  
> 2\. The medical equipment to which Starsky was hooked up in Sweet Revenge in the first scene after the shooting was laughable. Many fans with a medical background have mentioned this through the decades. So, for all my SR related stories and series, I’d like all readers to imagine a far more realistic set-up of (life saving/sustaining) equipment and machines that Starsky is hooked up to, like a ventilator, more IV’s and monitors. Also, imagine a far more realistic appearance of the area of his body that was injured: tubes, drains, bandages, tapes, incissions/stitches all that was missing from SR’s hospital scenes.  
> 3\. I always thought the nameless doctor who treated Starsky on Sweet Revenge came across as very kind, so in my imagination he became the Dr Jamison in my SR related stories and series.  
> 4\. In the episode Sweet Revenge during Starsky’s cardiac arrest, the clock behind Dobey and Huggy in the hallway shows the time as a few minutes before 12 o’clock (noon, I presume), while the hands on the doctor’s watch show 11:40 AM. I did not check if there were any clocks shown in the episode before I wrote my earlier SR related stories and series, so in my Post Gunther Sessions series, I have the time for Starsky’s cardiac arrest at 3:21 PM and have the resuscitation efforts last for 14 minutes. Therefore, in this story, I will stick to the literary liberty I took in that series, so 3:21 PM is the time of Starsky’s cardiac arrest; ignoring the out of sync clocks in the episode.  
> 5\. Literary liberty: in the scene when Hutch finds out Jenny Brown’s no longer in custody, Dobey refers to the attack on Hutch in the hospital’s garage as having taken place “last night”. That obviously clashes with the timeline in my SR related stories and series (The Post Sweet Revenge series, The Post Gunther Sessions series, The Pillars, The Vow, The Juncture), so I’m sticking with my own timeline, hence the slightly changed lines from the episode in this story.

#  **ROLLER COASTER**

The most used disclaimer:   
The TV show "Starsky and Hutch", and the characters from it   
are the property of the persons who hold the copyrights   
and other legal rights to them.   
This story is a work of fiction, written for pleasure only   
and not for profit. It is not intended, in any way,   
to infringe on these preexisting copyrights.

## THE NEW DAWN

Jacqueline©2020-05-21

**May 16, 1979 - 8:30 PM**

Harold Dobey had made it home, after having stopped by the station for a tense but, in the end, clarifying meeting with Chief Ryan. He stepped into the hall of his house, just when his daughter Rosie came down the stairs in her pajamas.

“Daddy, you’re home!” she exclaimed, before launching herself at her father.

“Ummmphhhh,” Dobey grunted, as he caught her. He immediately realized how his little girl was not so little anymore; that time was moving on fast, maybe too fast.  
“Hi pumpkin, you’re already in your PJ’s? What time is it?”

“I had to take a shower before Cal, but I’m not going to bed yet. Are you going to sleep at home tonight?”

“Yes, honey. I’m not going anywhere tonight. Where’s your mother?”

“Upstairs.”

“Where’s Cal?”

“Daddy, I just told you, he’s in the shower! You should listen better!”

Dobey sighed. As pleased as he was to be home again for the first time since 7:30 AM, May 15, he had not realized how tired he was until he’d closed his front door behind him.

Edith Dobey came down the stairs. Seeing her husband and daughter together brought a smile to her face, but she soon noticed her husband’s fatigue.

“Rosie, you can get your milk in the kitchen now. Let me say hello to your dad, honey.”

Rosie went off to the kitchen and Edith helped her husband out of his jacket.  
“Did you have something to eat yet?” she asked.

“Nah, Edith ….. I could use something to drink though …. Could you make me a hot cocoa?”

“No comfort food, but a comfort drink, Harold?” Edith asked.

Dobey sent his wife a familiar look,  
“I’ll be in the den,” he said.

Likewise, Edith gave him a look, too, before she went to the kitchen.

Dobey stepped into the den, kicked off his shoes and put on his slippers and sat down in the comfortable, old, armchair – his feet up on the ottoman.

“Hey dad, when did you get in?”

His son’s voice startled Dobey. He sat up and looked at his son before responding,  
“A couple of minutes ago….”

Cal was growing up fast, too, and would be ready to go off to college in just a year or two. Dobey realized, again, how time was marching on. It made him reminisce for a moment about the time he first met a twenty-one-year-old David Starsky, whose field training officer he was appointed to be.

“Dad! Are you okay?” Cal asked him.

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. How come you are in your PJ’s so early? It’s not even Rosie’s bedtime!”

“I’ve got football practice, early tomorrow, remember?”

“Is that tomorrow?”

“Yeah, always on Thursdays, did you forget?”

“No, no of course not …. I just lost track on what day of the week it was,” Dobey said as he took the mug with hot cocoa from Edith, who’d walked in on the conversation between father and son.

“Cal, could you excuse your father and me? I’ve got some cocoa for you, too, in the kitchen,” Edith ushered her son out of the den, before sitting down on the small couch opposite her husband.  
“You look tired, Harold. Did you get any sleep at the hospital?”

Dobey sighed, put his mug down, and replied,  
“Maybe two, three hours, I’m not sure.”

“But I’m guessing Dave is doing better now, or you would not have come home, right?”

“Well, better ….. better ….. He’s still in critical condition, but they told me he’s stable now, so I figured it would be best if I’d go home and have a good night’s rest, before going back to the hospital tomorrow,” Dobey paused, then looked into his wife’s eyes,  
“I’ve seen that boy die twice in a little over 24 hours, Edith …… First in the parking lot at Metro ….. I swear when I saw him lying there ….. I thought he’d be taken out of there in a coroner’s wagon. And then this afternoon ….. How the doctors and nurses handled him during the cardiac arrest ….. it felt like he wasn’t there anymore …. Do you understand what I’m saying, Edith? They were moving him around like …. Well, they had to, of course, to give him CPR and what not …. But ….. to see him, literally so lifeless …. “ Dobey stopped mid sentence, shaking his head.

“Oh, Harold, I’m so sorry. I never stopped praying ….. How’s Hutch?”

“Hutch?!” Dobey sighed again,  
“Well, I’m glad Huggy can get through to him from time to time. I told him to go home this afternoon, but it turned out he’d just gone back to Dave’s room again. Huggy finally persuaded him to go home around dinner time. I hope for all our sakes that he will be able to get some sleep tonight, because he’s just out of it …..” Dobey sat up straighter and took a sip from his cocoa before continuing,  
“Out of it …. He got me into some trouble with Chief Ryan, too, but I’ve managed to set that straight ….. for now. I just hope he will not break his word to me that he will go by the book from now on.”

“Oh Harold, can you blame him? Or have you forgotten how you felt when you lost Elmo?”

Harold looked at his wife, longer now, before shaking his head,  
“No, I can’t. They’re like brothers …….” He paused.  
“And Dave’s like family …… You know, Edith? I just noticed Cal is really close to becoming a man …. all grown up …. close to going to college. Remember when I was Dave’s field training officer? When I first brought him in for dinner and you thought he was one of those minors with a rap sheet?” Dobey chuckled.

Edith laughed, too,  
“It’s not that he looked like a teenager ….. it was more that look ….. in his eyes …” Edith giggled now,  
“Lord, he could look so confused from time to time ….. like he was a beat behind everything…. Remember how surprised I was when you told me he had such a sharp mind?!”

Both Edith and Harold laughed out loud for a moment, relieving some of the worry and tension of the past long days. But then both sobered up and were lost in their private thoughts.

“I totally understand how Hutch feels right now. I just hope he won’t have to feel what I felt, when Elmo died. I just hope and pray Dave will make it, because I don’t want to feel that way over a fellow police officer ever again …..” Dobey concluded.

Edith got up from the couch, sat down on the arm of the chair and hugged her husband tight.

**May 16, 1979 - 11:07 PM**

Huggy had only left Starsky’s room to get coffee or go to the men’s room. Having been cleared to stay at the hospital, the staff was beginning to warm up to the flamboyant informant. Every hour nurses checked the status on the machines that were keeping Starsky alive. Dr Jamison had checked on Starsky, too, and had asked if Huggy was going to stay all night. When Huggy had confirmed, Jamison had been so kind to let the nurses set up a cot for him in a storage room, but so far, Huggy had no intention of making use of it.

He had spent most of his time studying his friend. The whole cardiac arrest incident had shocked him thoroughly. That had surprised him, because Huggy had seen his share of shocking tragedies in his lifetime. But Starsky, his cocky pal, was as tough as they came. To have witnessed his friend’s complete helplessness and vulnerability during the resuscitation efforts had hit Huggy hard.

When the nurses had left the room after another status check of the machines, Huggy stood up and got as close to Starsky’s bedside as possible. He looked around and through the window into the hallway, to see if anybody was watching, before bending down closer to Starsky’s ear.

“Starsky, buddy, I know that you can hear me ….. You’ve made it through two cardiac arrests now, man ….. That means nothing and nobody can ever bring you down …. You got that? You’re gonna beat this ….. you are going to make it …. You hear? Starsky? You’re gonna live, bro! I just know it. Hang in there, and fight, buddy ….. you can do it!”

Huggy noticed a nurse in the hallway, so he quickly made it back to the chair, half expecting her to come into the room, but she didn’t. He stayed at Starsky’d bedside until an hour later a nurse asked him to leave and have some rest in the storage room, as she would continue to keep vigil over Starsky. Reluctantly, Huggy did as he was asked to do.

**May 17, 1979 - 07:07 AM**

Harold Dobey was already sitting at the kitchen table, fully dressed, talking on the phone while taking notes and occasionally sipping from his cup of coffee.

Edith entered the kitchen with a bewildered look on her face. Once her husband had finished his phone call she said  
“Morning, Harold. How come you’re so early this morning…… Did Dave’s condition change?”

“Morning, Edith. No, I just need to stay on top of things ….. best to get an early start.” He got up from the kitchen chair, put his notebook in his pocket and gave his wife a kiss on her cheek.

“Are you already leaving? You haven’t even seen the kids yet ….. haven’t wished them good morning, yet!” Edith exclaimed.

“Edith ….” Dobey began, but was interrupted when his son and daughter came down the stairs and entered the kitchen. He kissed Rosie and patted Cal on the arm.  
“You all behave and have a good day …. I have to go now.”

“But Harold, did you even have breakfast, yet?” Edith called after her husband.

“I’ll grab something on the way,” Dobey called over his shoulder, before shutting the front door behind him.

**May 17, 1979 - 07:43 AM**

  
Huggy took his bag, packed with some clothes and toiletries, with him to the staff’s showers. Under Captain Dobey’s responsibility, Dr Jamison had allowed Huggy a special pass that secured him clearance to certain “For authorized personnel only” areas. After a quick shower and shave, he put on a fresh set of clothes, returned his bag to a cabinet in the storage room where he had slept and walked over to Starsky’s ICU room.

To his surprise, he found Hutch already in the chair next to Starsky’s bed.

“Morning. When did you get here?” he asked the blond detective.

Hutch looked only slightly better after having spend the night at his own home. Huggy was pleased to see Hutch had changed clothes.

Hutch smiled a weak, almost apologetic, smile at Huggy.  
“I just had to be here ….. you know….”

Huggy nodded his head.  
“Yeah ……”  
He sat down on a chair on the opposite side of Starsky’s bed.  
“For what it’s worth, Hutch …… the nurses checked on him every hour last night. They told me his numbers have been improving since about 4 this morning…..”

“What numbers?”

“I don’t know, man ….. Look, the point is, they sounded more ….. kinda …. hopeful than yesterday, you know?”

Hutch looked at Huggy for a long moment, nodded, and turned his attention fully on his unconscious partner again.

Huggy was curious to know about Hutch’s phone call to Starsky’s mom, so he carefully probed,  
“So, when will his mom get here?”

“Whose mom? …. Oh!”  
Huggy’s question woke Hutch up from his reverie.  
“She’s not coming.”

Huggy was shocked.  
“Not coming? ……. You **did** ….. I thought you’d call her …. Didn’t you call her yesterday?”

Hutch sighed, before answering in a soft tone,  
“Yes ….. I called her ….. I uh …… told her …….. Do **you** know how hard it is to tell somebody …… a relative ….. a mother ……. that their loved one…… their **child** …. might……die?”  
Hutch looked at Huggy for a long moment before continuing,  
“I told her what happened …… She’s a strong woman, Hug, ……. You can tell she’s been through a lot ….. She …… asked me what his chances were ….. I told her they were slim …. Before I even got to …. got to Starsky’s ….. wishes …… she asked me when he’d been shot….so, I…. I told her and she….., man ….. she didn’t even get mad when she heard how many hours had passed…….”  
Again Hutch looked at Huggy, his eyes pressing Huggy with the unspoken question ‘can you believe that?”, before they found Starsky’s face again.  
“Then she just asked if he’d perhaps already died ….. I told her no ….. and she literally guessed that Starsky would not want her to be told if he’d …. She literally said that he’d only have her be called if he’d been killed instantly, not if he were seriously wounded….. can you believe that?” Hutch asked Huggy.

Huggy shook his head as his eyes teared up.

“And then,” Hutch continued, as he got a handkerchief out of his pocket,  
“Then she started consoling me….. **me**! Her son is in coma …… fighting for his life …. and she has the strength and the compassion to console **me** ….. to worry about **me** ……” he blew his nose and wiped at his eyes.  
“That’s so Starsk….. you know? …… They always put other people first…… “

Huggy waited a spell before asking,  
“So ….. what’s gonna happen now? What will she do, now?”

Hutch cleared his throat,  
“I told her I’d call her …… keep her informed about ….. about any and every change …. change in his condition, good or bad…..” Hutch stopped abruptly and looked at Huggy with panic stricken eyes.  
“Christ …… Starsk already died ….. she already lost him …… yesterday …… after our call!”

Hutch looked back at Starsky again, then shook his head.  
“She could’ve already lost him …… I …. I promised her …… I promised her I’d call her … about every change …. Good or bad, big or small …….”

A strange noise, sounding suspiciously close to a sob, escaped Hutch’s throat before he continued,  
“I’ve already broken two vows to Starsk and his mom …… I broke my vow to him to not let his mom at his bedside should he end up like …… like he’s now …… and I broke my vow to his mom to inform her about changes in his condition ……. Goddammit!”

Huggy witnessed Hutch almost falling apart right in front of him in mere seconds. His mind raced to find the right words, but Hutch had not finished his lament, yet.

“What a fucking mess ……. I ….. we ….. we already almost lost him…… yesterday and the day before …… and I fuck up my vow to my best friend and I fuck up my vow to his mother …. He already died and she doesn’t even know yet! ….. What do I gotta do, Hug? What should I do?”

Huggy’s deep concern grew as he looked into Hutch’s face that only showed deep despair and hopelessness.  
“Hutch ….. listen to me, man. Starsky’s not dead! He did not die ….. He’s right here with us. Like I just told you ….. the nurses said he’s doing better ….. his numbers are up …. That sounded like a good thing to me…… And you did not break your vow to Starsky ….. he just doesn’t want his mom to witness him like this ….. he never asked you not to keep her informed, right? You told her what happened and she knows her son well enough to feel that he wouldn’t want her here right now. And you will call her again ….. and you will tell her what happened yesterday ….. that he had that cardiac arrest, but that he got through that and that now he’s actually doing better than before his heart stopped ……. You did nothing wrong, man….. don’t blame yourself ……”  
  
As he looked at his devastated friend, Huggy’s ears picked up Dobey’s voice in the hallway. He knew the captain would soon find his way to Starsky’s room and he did not want him to see Hutch’ current emotional state.

“Now, you gotta pick yourself up …. for Starsky ….. You wanna get the guys who did this to him, so you have to stay strong and focused ….. He’d do the same for you ….. The doctors will probably give an update soon, so why don’t you wait with your call to his mom until they’ve been around, so you can give her the latest info, okay?”

Hutch inhaled deeply, looked at Huggy, nodded his head and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to his friend, just as captain Dobey stepped into the room with Dr Jamison and some other doctors.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Jamison said,  
“If you would excuse us for a moment …… we’re going to perform a little check-up on Detective Starsky ….. Thank you.”

Dobey, Huggy and Hutch left the room. The medical personnel shut the blinds so they could not witness what was going on inside.

Dobey looked from Hutch to Huggy and back.  
“You were here early, Hutch ….. Did you manage to get some sleep?”

“Yes, captain,” Hutch replied on automatic pilot.

Huggy was worried that Dobey would pick up on Hutch’ state of mind, so volunteered his news as a distraction.  
“Captain, the nurses sounded quite pleased this morning when they were checking Starsky’s levels. Said the numbers were up……”

Dobey grunted.  
“Why don’t we go to our room ….. I want to check in with the station …. See if they’ve made some progress….” He looked at Hutch who was once again staring at the closed blinds of Starsky’s room.  
“Hutch, come on, they’ll inform us once they’re done…..”

“Yeah,” Hutch replied absent mindedly before following Dobey and Huggy to the make-shift post.

**May 17, 1979 - 11:02 AM**

  
Dobey held a morning briefing in the make-shift post at Memorial. Sergeants Horowitz and Joist respectively reported on the investigation into the murder of the Memorial resident and the security situation at Memorial in the presence of all the police personnel that had been temporary assigned to duty at the hospital. After everybody had gone back to work, Dobey, Hutch and Huggy remained. Dobey contacted chief Ryan and Hutch caught up on paper work regarding his arrest of Jenny Brown.  
Then Dr Jamison stepped into the room, accompanied by two other doctors.

“Captain Dobey, is this a convenient time for us to discuss Detective Starsky’s status?” he asked.

“Of course,” Dobey replied and when he noticed the doctors’ reluctance to begin, as they indicated both Hutch and Huggy in the room, he said,  
“You know Detective Hutchinson is Detective Starsky’s partner and Hu….. Mr. Brown is a uh, family friend. It’s best if we’re told together, so there’ll be no confusion.”

“Of course. Shall we go to the family room? There are more seats there,” Jamison gestured.

Dobey ordered one of the officers to take control of the transmitter and he and Huggy and Hutch walked over to the family room with the doctors.

After everybody had taken a seat, Dr Jamison began.  
“Gentlemen, well ….. we uh, not even 48 hours have passed since Detective Starsky was admitted and we’ve already experienced quite a number of firsts…..”  
He looked into the expectant faces of the three men before continuing,  
“Let’s begin with some cautious good news. All levels that were either seriously diminished, hampered or completely stopped due to the shooting, are slowly returning to normal. I’m talking about blood levels relating to the performance of his organs. So, that is very good news. What is also good, if not remarkable, news is that so far, we have not been able to detect any signs of damage to his heart muscle. Later today Dr Bernard, our cardiologist, will perform more detailed tests on Detective Starsky’s heart. The CT and MRI results show no troubling signs regarding his brain activity, which is also a little short of a miracle, considering Detective Starsky has experienced two cardiac arrests now and has been in a coma since his surgery. So, the results, so far, indicate a trend that gives us reason to believe we can speak of improvement, however minute and fragile this still is.”

“Is he …. Is he going to make it, doctor?” Hutch softly asked.

“He is still in critical condition, so officially it is too soon to tell. But as I’ve said before, nothing regarding Detective Starsky’s case so far, could have been predicted. I am sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that the scale of damage caused by the bullets was such, that it could very well have ended his life right at the scene of the attack. Every minute that he survived since then, has been more than was to be expected. So, you will understand that we will not venture into prognoses for **any** kind of future right now. His condition is still too fragile and uncertain to attempt to make predictions for even the next hour.”

Jamison paused for a moment.

“For now, we can only continue monitoring his condition, prevent infections from developing and evaluate his system’s response to the surgery and medication. It is a matter of time and all we can do is monitor him while we wait.”

“So, doc,” Dobey asked after a moment of silence,  
“If it’s still a question of if, not of when, is there anything you can say about how he will come out of this ….. if he ….. if he survives?”

Huggy’s eyes shifted to Dobey in shock, yet he realized that this was the reality they had landed in since May 15th.

Jamison tilted his head with an apologetic and empathetic expression before answering,  
“As I’ve explained, I’m afraid there is just nothing that points in any specific direction strongly enough to be able to answer that question at this moment. If anybody would have told me two days ago we would still have Detective Starsky in our care today, I would have advised them to not hold their breath. Yet, here we are. But you also know, Captain Dobey, that just hours after I told you that every minute Detective Starsky managed to hang on, would increase his chances of survival, he had his second cardiac arrest………” He let the words linger.  
“So, his case keeps us on our toes, because so far he has not only defied the odds, but his survival so far has defied all logic. Rest assured, though, that our staff will do everything in its power to not only keep him alive, but to help him heal.”

The three men absorbed the information on Starsky’s condition in silence. Jamison and the other doctors exchanged looks before Jamison ended the briefing.  
“So, if you have no questions at this time, we will move on. The team that has been assigned to Detective Starsky’s case will continue monitoring him and you will receive updates on his condition should any changes occur, okay? Have a nice day, gentlemen.”

After the doctors had left the room, Dobey, Huggy and Hutch remained in the family room for a spell. Not one of them knew what to do or say. Then, after a few minutes they got up and returned to the make-shift post and resumed doing what they had been doing before the medical briefing.

**May 17, 1979 - 2:09 PM**

All three men had taken breaks from the make-shift post to either look through the window of ICU 1 or sit at Starsky’s bedside, watching how his chest moved up and down in the unnaturally steady rhythm of the machine that was breathing for him.

When Hutch had, once again, left the post to be with his partner, Huggy and Dobey struck up a conversation.

“How are you doing, Captain? Do you feel like having lunch, yet? It’s past 2 already…..”

“No, I’m fine, Huggy….. thanks,” Dobey responded as he finished reading an update on the investigation into the murder of the resident. He turned and looked at the young man opposite him, whose tie to “his boys” had always amazed him in the past. But not anymore. In the hours since the attack on Starsky, Dobey was slowly beginning to get accustomed to Huggy.

“I bet you haven’t been around so many cops for such a long time ever before in your life, am I right?” Dobey asked.

A sly smile broke on Huggy’s face.

“How are **you** doing, Huggy?” Dobey continued, knowing well that the bond between Huggy and the two detectives, specifically Starsky, ran deep.

“Well,” Huggy started, then paused for a long moment,  
“It’s weird but …… I think Starsky’s going to make it …… The more time passes, the calmer I get ….. I think that means he’s gonna get through this ….”

Dobey contemplated what Huggy had said for a moment. Could it be the bond between him and Starsky and Hutch was so good, that they could feel how they were doing?

“Hold on to that thought, son,” Dobey finally said, as he reached out to the ringing phone,  
“Starsky needs all good thoughts and prayers to get through this one.”

Dobey picked up the receiver,  
“Dobey! Yeah? When?,” he said.

Meanwhile Hutch walked back into the room, absentmindedly fiddling with the zipper of his jacket.

As soon as Dobey noticed Hutch, he paused his phone conversation and addressed Hutch,  
“Hold it, how is he?”

“He’s uh …… holding his own,” Hutch replied as he checked the contents of a brown paper bag filled with sandwiches that Huggy had set on the table.

“Just a light snack. You want something?” Huggy asked Hutch.

Hutch declined, before plopping down in a desk chair against the wall. Although he’d had a reasonable night’s rest, he still looked worn and dead tired.

“Okay, I’ll get back to you,” Dobey finished his phone call and turned his chair to face Hutch.  
“That mechanic who tried to waste you yesterday in the hospital garage …..”

Hutch seemed spaced out and took his time to respond,  
“Yeah, did you get him an ID?” he asked, still with that uncharacteristically hoarse voice.

“Nope,” Dobey answered,  
“They got to him in his cell at the county. Knifed him.” Dobey waited to see how Hutch would take in this information.

Suddenly Hutch’s eyes focused and became alert. His body literally veered up into action as he slid the desk chair to the phone to make a call to the station.  
“Riley? Hutchinson. Look uuuuuuhm, Jenny Brown. We booked her yesterday. Uhm…. Well, wait a second!!! I want her transferred to maximum security………. What????!!!!! Well, who sprung her? ……. Yeah, thanks.”

Hutch immediately ran out of the make-shift police post, leaving Dobey and Huggy puzzled as to what they’d just witnessed.

So, Dobey picked up the phone and called desk officer on duty, Riley.  
“Riley, Captain Dobey here. You just were on the phone to Detective Hutchinson regarding the booking of one Jenny Brown. What happened? What info did you give him … tell me what you told him,” Dobey barked into the phone. He made notes as Riley gave him the info.  
“Alright, thank you.” Dobey put down the receiver and looked at Huggy.

“What is it, Captain?”

Dobey looked at Huggy for a long moment, contemplating what to do.  
“So, you never answered my question …. If you’d ever been around so many cops for such a long time before?”

Again, Huggy just smiled at Dobey.

“Well, I think in this special case, I have to ask you something you may never have thought of, ever, in your life,” Dobey continued.

Now Huggy’s interest was sparked. He tilted his head,  
“Don’t leave me hangin’, Captain, …. Ask what it is you wanna ask and we’ll take it from there,” he replied.

Dobey sighed.  
“Obviously Hutch is not himself. Huggy, between you and me, he’s only still on Starsky’s case because ….. well, because I put my job on the line for him……. I don’t want him to do something stupid without a badge ….. but …. the way he is now …. I’m not sure if what I did was such a smart thing. I want you to keep an eye on him, rein him in when needed. He won’t accept a temporary partner …… but I’m sure he’ll accept the wise words of a good friend ….. you dig?”

Huggy felt honored that Dobey took him seriously and put his trust in him.  
“Of course Captain, I’m in. What do you want me to do?”

“Hutch just got the address of the attorney who paid Jenny Brown’s bail. I’m sure that’s where he ran off to. Here’s the name of the firm and the address. I want you to go there and stick with him, will you do that?”

“Say no more, Captain, I’m on it,” Huggy said as he took the note with the address on it with him, leaving Dobey in the make-shift post at Memorial.

**May 17, 1979 - 5:13 PM**

Huggy had followed Hutch to the offices of prestigious lawfirm “Wells, Calley, Hodgson & Associates”, where Hutch would without doubt, have found a way to get a meeting with high priced lawyer Jonathan Wells.

He’d bluffed his way into the building, even to the right floor, and had been lucky to find a spot where he could keep an eye on the lawyer’s secretary. He’d noticed how she would take phone calls, jot down information in a notebook and either put calls through or continue with her other work. Huggy knew he wanted to get to the notebook, or better yet, take it with him.

From his hidden position, he had checked the hallway for cameras and had also studied if and how Wells’ secretary interacted with her co-workers. Huggy knew that if he were to succeed in getting close to her desk, he had to do it quickly and unnoticed, for he would not be getting a second chance.

Just as he’d finished his thoughts, the secretary had stood up from her desk. Looking around him, he had immediately moved towards her desk and had removed some 3 pages from her notebook, holding information on phonecalls she’d taken. He had even been alert enough to whipe away the paper snippets that had come off the notebook, before returning to the elevators, at the same time that Hutch had walked into the hallway.

Once outside the building, Hutch had called the phone number that appeared on the list a suspicious number of times, only to find out to whom it belonged.

It was the direct line to James Marshall Gunther, owner of Gunther Industries, one of the biggest business conglomerates on the planet. And its owner, was – as Hutch had stated – “the man who turned down a chance at the presidency because it was a step down in power”.

Huggy and Hutch had driven back to Memorial in their individual cars and had gone back to the make-shift post to inform Captain Dobey.

Dobey was happy with the information, but not happy about how it was obtained.

“Dammit, Huggy. I asked you to help, NOT to obtain evidence that we won’t be able to use in court!!!” he’d yelled.

“Captain! At least Huggy got us a starting point. I’m sure we can use that info and trace it back and connect the dots, legally, from here,” Hutch had come to Huggy’s defence.

Dobey had taken a long moment, during which his eyes shot daggers at both Hutch and Huggy, before replying in a calmer tone,  
“Well, you’d better make it stick ….. LEGALLY AND BY THE BOOK!”

“You’ve got my word, Captain,” Hutch had replied before he went by Starsky’s room for several minutes to tell him to hang on, after which he left for the station. He had a lot of work to do.

Meanwhile Dobey and Huggy sat in silence for some time, before Huggy decided it may be best to let Dobey calm down a bit. So, he left to sit at Starsky’s bedside until things settled down again.

**May 17, 1979 - 7:10 PM**

Huggy and Dobey had alternated time between the make-shift police post and Starsky’s ICU room. Now, it was Dobey who sat at his detective’s bedside, one last time before he would head home again.

Huggy watched Dobey through the window and felt sorry for the large man. Starsky’s condition was clearly weighing heavily on the Captain’s mind. He stepped into the room.

“Captain, why don’t you go home? Get some dinner, be with the family. I’ll stay here with him.”

Dobey looked up with a tired and concerned look, before he smiled at Huggy.  
“Thank you, Huggy,” he said as he got up from the small chair. He patted Starsky’s arm before walking towards the doorway.  
“Oh, uhm, Huggy ….. you understand why I …..”

“No need to apologize, Captain, I get it,”…..

“Gentlemen,” Dr Jamison’s familiar voice sounded from the doorway,  
“If you would excuse us. We are going to perform some tests on Detective Starsky, so if you would please step out of the room? Thank you.”

“Is something wrong, Doc?” Dobey asked, on the alert.

“No, Captain, just a routine status test, to see where we stand now. This will take some time, so I suggest you just go home and rest. We’ll inform you later. Don’t worry, he’s in good hands,” Jamison ended, while patting Dobey on his shoulder.

Outside in the hallway, Dobey and Huggy watched as the blinds to Starsky’s room were shut. Then each man went his own way. Dobey towards the elevators and Huggy towards the make-shift police post.

**May 18, 1979 - 7:10 AM**

Edith Dobey didn’t know that her husband had not had breakfast, or had consumed anything but her cocoa or the black coffee at Memorial since 1 PM, May 15, when she walked in on him sitting at the kitchen table.

“Good morning, Harold. You want me to make you some toast?”

“No, Edith, I’m late as it is,” Dobey said, as he got up,  
“I’ve got to get to Memorial.” He kissed his wife’s hair.

“Harold …..” she started, then looked down his pantlegs,  
“What’s wrong with your pants?”

Dobey realized missing all those meals the past few days, must have caused him to shed some weight.  
He pulled up his pants, then called at his son who just came down the stairs,  
“Cal, get my dark brown belt from our bedroom. It’s on the inside of the wardrobe door, go – hurry!”

“Harold! Did you have anything to eat this morning?” Edith paused, studied her husband, then asked,  
“Did you have dinner at Memorial, yesterday?”

“Edith, honey, I’ve got no time for this now …. Thanks Cal,” he said, as he took the belt from his son.  
“I’ll call you from Memorial,” and off he went, belt in hand, leaving his wife and son in the kitchen.

**May 18, 1979 - 7:53 AM**

Dobey arrived on the ICU floor and immediately asked for a status update at the nurses desk.

“He had a very good, peaceful, night, Captain Dobey. All his vitals are up, in fact, he is no longer in critical condition, but has been downgraded to serious or guarded condition. He was taken off the ventilator about an hour ago.” the nurse on duty told him.

“Well, that is ….. wonderful news, thank you,” Dobey thanked the nurse, as tears welled up in his eyes. His boy might just make it, after all. He stepped into the make-shift police post where the officer on duty informed him on the status of the various investigations that were going on.

After a while, Huggy stepped into the room. He’d gone to his bar and had his kitchen staff pack some great soulfood as well as sandwhiches into a picnic basket. If he couldn’t get Dobey to eat the hospital cafeteria food, surely he’d be able to win him over with this great menu?

But again, Dobey refused, although he barely had any energy left, even this early in the morning.

Then suddenly, a lot of commotion could be heard, coming from the direction of ICU 1. Dobey and Huggy exchanged looks, the memory of two days ago when Starsky had his second cardiac arrest, still too fresh in their minds.

Again they joined a parade of cops and medical personnel on the way to ICU 1, but the sight behind the window this time, was a sight of pure joy.

They witnessed a positively exuberant Hutch moving excitedly through the ICU room, hugging the nurse, clearly getting in the way of Dr Jamison and some other doctors who had just entered the room as well, and in between all the mayhem, Huggy and Dobey could see that Starsky’s eyes were open!

He was awake, and the bright blue of his eyes, gave them both the feeling of witnessing the best new dawn of their lifetime!

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this series was inspired by a song by Dutch singer Danny Vera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWe4e0_UmIc), see the lyrics below:
> 
> ROLLER COASTER  
> Danny Vera
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> With those crazy highs and real deep lows  
> I really don't know why  
> And I will go  
> To the farthest place on earth I know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me
> 
> You don't have to slow me down  
> 'Cause I will always be around  
> I will find my way back home  
> Where magnolia grows, where magnolia grows
> 
> But I guess you know  
> Why I do what I do and where I go  
> I try to fill that empty space inside  
> But I can't do that without you  
> You're even with me in my dreams  
> I see a sail, the seven seas  
> I will try to find my way  
> You're always there tomorrow, you're always there tomorrow
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> With those crazy highs and real deep lows  
> I really don't know why  
> And I will go  
> To the farthest place on earth I know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me  
> You don't have to slow me down  
> 'Cause I will always be around  
> I will find my way back home  
> Where magnolia grows, where magnolia grows
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> With those crazy highs and real deep lows  
> I really don't know why  
> And I will go  
> To the farthest place on earth I know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me  
> 'Cause I know, oh I know  
> You're there with me
> 
> Songwriters: Danny Polfliet / John J H Verhoeven


End file.
